The NHL regular season has officially ended, and now this is where the fun begins. The Stanley Cup Playoffs start May 2nd kicking it off with the Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins. As for the Colorado Avalanche, they’ll begin Game 1, May 3rd against their division rival the Nashville Predators. This is most definitely the most highly anticipated playoffs for the Avalanche since their fans expect that they’ll be the ones hoisting the cup come late June. Currently, they have the best betting odds heading into the tournament, even over the Florida Panthers who took home the Presidents trophy.
A historic season for the Colorado Avalanche as they set numerous franchise records throughout the whole season. One recently being that they set a franchise record for most points in a season at 119. This is just one of many accomplishments the team had during the year. Despite this incredible season full of amazing moments, it ended in bitter taste heading into the playoffs as Colorado went 1-5-1 in their last 7 games. Now one of the reasons was because many players were sitting out to get rest or were taking time for an injury. It wasn’t what was expected of this loaded squad to finish the season, but it seems they may be leaving some gas in the tank before entering what actually matters.
Looking into this playoff matchup, the Predators are coming as the wild card team looking to spoil the potential cup run the Avs could achieve. The Predators have some threats on offense and defense that could give the Avs trouble. Former Avalanche Matt Duchene led the team in goals with 43, with a couple of them against his old club. On the defensive front, they have a possible Norris Trophy winner Roman Josi who led his team in assists and points throughout the regular season. He had 73 assists and 23 goals, adding up to 96 points. Goaltending could be the downfall of the Preds as their starter Juuse Saros could miss some action in the playoffs with a sprained ankle. The All-Star tender had a regular season save percentage of .918 along with a goals against average of 2.64. It is up to their head coach John Hynes on who will get the nod for game 1 if Saros isn’t available. The options include David Rittich and Connor Ingram. David ended up defeating the Avs last Thursday in a shoot-out victory, and also a larger resume in the NHL, so he should be the one getting the start assuming Saros won’t be able to. Even though Colorado is heavily favored, the Preds got the best of them 3 times out of 4 meetings this season. That may not be an accurate indication, however Nashville is one of the toughest/loudest places to play in the playoffs, which could play a factor in this best of 7 series.
Now for the Avalanche, according to Head Coach Jared Bednar, the team is going to be completely healthy for Game 1. This is a scary sign for the Preds as the Avs have an absurd amount of superstars. Captain Gabriel Landeskog will play his first game since March 10th, which will certainly spark the lineup. Mikko Rantanen has been an incredible player throughout his career and is now the leader in goals and points this season. He’s found the back of the net for a career high of 36 goals to add to his 56 assists. Nazem Kadri also had a career high year in the assists and points column. Kadri had 59 assists with 87 points, which beats his original best by a wide margin. This doesn’t even include the play of Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Val Nichushkin, and Devon Toews. It just shows you how highly powered the Avalanche are on offense and defense. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper will almost certainly get the start in net tuesday. He had himself a great season with a save percentage of .921, with plenty of clutch outings against tough opponents. Unfortunately, his play was a little lax to end, but everyone knows what he is capable of. If he can play as sharp as he did in the middle of the season, the Avs should be able to find their way to the Cup. A lot will come down to his play.
I’m extremely excited to see how it all pans out. There is nothing like Playoff Hockey. The Avalanche are a phenomenal team that will need to do a bit of soul searching to achieve what is most desired by every hockey player who has ever played this game. It all unfolds May 3rd at Ball arena.
